


Pokemon Games Songbook for Red, Blue and Yellow

by poketroubadour



Category: Pocket Monsters: Red & Green & Blue & Yellow | Pokemon Red Green Blue Yellow Versions
Genre: Adventure, Gen, Songfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 08:35:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 4,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29382159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poketroubadour/pseuds/poketroubadour
Summary: Attention all Pokemon Music Lovers! Ever wanted to actually, you know,singthose incredible tunes that play while you're out strutting your trainery stuff? Behold my extensive collection of lyrics set to the music of Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow versions! A separate story will soon be published containing my other Pokemon lyrics. Enjoy!
Kudos: 3





	1. Introduction

Okay, here it is - my collection of homemade lyrics set to the music of Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow! I composed these lyrics over several years without any particular plan in mind, so what you'll find - in short - is a right mish-mash of different themes and styles. Some of the songs are actually about Pokemon, others aren't; some feature characters from the franchise as the voice of the singer - even with stage directions - others are, well, just songs basically. To help you out, at the top of each page I'll put a note entitled STORY/ SCENARIO which will hopefully provide a bit of an insight into how (and by whom) I envisage the song being performed.

Unless otherwise stated, the lyrics are intended to be set to the main melody line of each song (i.e. the bit that loops) - i.e. introductory bars and harmony parts do not normally have lyrics associated with them. I've tried to be as faithful as possible to the tunes as they appear in the games; however, occasionally I have found it necessary to lop bits off or add bits to the melody in order to make the lyrics fit. These 'improvements' will be detailed in another note headed VARIATIONS which will also appear at the top of each page. The lyrics which correspond to the altered section of melody will appear in brackets () adjacent to the explanation. Also, unless otherwise stated, I am using the earliest published version of each song - i.e. the version from the first generation of games in which it appears - which in my opinion is usually the best one.

Lastly, it would be wrong to continue without acknowledging the tremendous debt of gratitude we all owe to the incredible minds behind the Pokemon franchise - most particularly its creator, Satoshi Tajiri, the games' developers, Nintendo and GameFreak, and their original musical genius, Junichi Masuda, on whose work so much of my own contribution is based. All art originates from other art, and no one could ask for better or more inspiring source material than those individuals and organisations between them have consistently provided for the past 25 years. Perhaps no other creative team has ever brought more joy into the hearts of children young and old for so long a period of time than those guys have. As well as being a labour of love for me personally, this collection is very much a tribute to and intended to complement those incredible, soaring tunes that were the soundtrack to my childhood and so many others besides: here's hoping this will be obvious to the reader.

Okay, tuning forks at the ready, it's time to sing the Pokemon games! We'll start from the beginning and work our way through to end, possibly even going via the middle! Remember, any and all feedback is welcome, please do not be afraid to comment on or critique any aspect of my work - it's just good to know someone's actually paying attention! Maybe you'll even want to request one of your favourite tunes (Pokemon or otherwise) for me write lyrics to for my next project! Now, a G major chord if you please to get us off and running! Here...we...go!


	2. 1. Main Menu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic set to 'Main Menu' from the original Pokemon games: i.e. the tune that plays while your character stands with his arm outstretched, clutching his PokeBall as strange, fantastic creatures slide in and out of view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: As he prepares to set out on his journey, a new Pokemon Trainer muses with his partner about the adventures that lie ahead.
> 
> VARIATIONS: Immediately before the tune loops there is a crotchet triplet - notes C,C,B. I have added in an extra crotchet just before this and changed the notes to D,C,B,A (Oh, we will go). In addition, on the third playing, the music from midway through bar 14 to midway through bar 16 of the main melody repeats whilst slowing down, bringing the song to an end (If I'm with you, my friend).

Nearly light -  
It's time to begin!  
Foes to fight,  
Battles to win.  
We'll be strong,  
Through dark and despair:  
Right what's wrong,  
Rule the world if we dare.  
Oh, I can see  
Possibility  
Everywhere!  
What can compare?  
Oh, we will go

Toe to toe,  
And will against will.  
Time will slow,  
Then it stands still.  
Hearts will pound,  
And mouths will run dry;  
On this ground,  
No one but you and I.  
Ah, we are free  
To make history  
If we try!  
Never say die!  
Oh, we will go

Up and down  
In sun and in rain:  
Through each town,  
Down every lane.  
Don't know where  
The journey will end -  
Who could care,  
If I'm with you, my friend. (x3)


	3. 2. Pallet Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic set to 'Pallet Town', the tune that plays as you put down the SNES controller and take your first tentative steps downstairs to see Mom, then out into the big wide world to meet your destiny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: Struggling for inspiration, an ageing painter recalls his mother's words to him on the day he first left home.
> 
> VARIATIONS: None

How much longer shall my pallet stay  
Unblemished, while despair  
Contorts my weary face  
In a frown, and up and down  
I start to pace,  
Wandering and pondering away?  
I have the whole world to choose,  
And still my soul can find no muse!  
Then, from my hand my brush falling,  
I hear her voice calling,

Drifting down the decades like a song:  
'All boys leave home some day,  
My brave and precious child;  
So must you, and journey through  
The world so wild,  
Hurrying and scurrying along!  
Go now, and learn all you can;  
Soon you'll return to me a man.  
Be all your days filled with laughter,  
Forever and after.'

Now I see her smiling just as then -  
This vision I will paint,  
That she may live anew;  
Just as she brought life to me  
Each day I grew,  
Sickening and quickening again.  
And in a blur, _c'est fini _:_  
_I gaze at her, and she at me.  
Then warm emotions flood through me,  
And joy pours into me!


	4. 3. Oak's Lab & Theme

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic set to two different tunes: Oak's Lab, which plays as you're contemplating the age-old question of Bulbasaur, Charmander or Squirtle; and Professor Oak's Theme, which strikes up when you unwisely venture into long grass without Pokemon protection.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: The local Professor presents a new trainer with his Pokedex - but this one also takes photos!
> 
> VARIATIONS: As the title implies, I've combined the very short but exquisite Oak's Lab with Professor Oak's Theme to form a single song. As such, Professor's Oak's Theme has unfortunately had to undergo substantial changes:  
> \- Bars 1-8 are deleted.  
> \- The whole piece is transposed from F major to B-flat major and slowed from allegretto to andante to match the key and tempo of Oak's Lab.  
> \- The music in bars 11-12, 15-16 and 19-20 is replaced by a single semibreve note followed by a bar rest (clear...home...dear).  
> \- The music in bars 23-24 is replaced by dotted minim, crotchet, semibreve (where you roam).  
> In addition, in Oak's Lab, the ascending quaver scale in bar 8 is replaced by a descending crotchet scale on the first playing (pain and hardship) and by a single minim note followed by a minim rest on the second playing (the '-gain' of 'again').
> 
> KEY: Upright text = Oak's Lab, _Italics = Professor Oak's Theme ___  
> 

If I may have your attention,  
I'll show you a fine new invention -  
The work of a life  
Suffering strife -  
Worth every second of pain and hardship.

Full, as you are, of ambition,  
I'm sending you out on a mission.  
Some time may it be,  
Long, before we  
Stand face to face once again.

_Now I will tell you the secret loud and clear:  
_ _Fill my device with the memories of home.  
_ _Capture the face of a person you hold dear:  
_ _Let them inspire you, and lead you back from where you roam._

Then tell me of each new adventure -  
Let nothing be worthy of censure -  
And let me appraise  
All of the ways  
My new invention assists. Life's filled with

Happiness - mind you enjoy it!  
Or darkness will quickly destroy it;  
May you never know  
(Calmly aglow)  
Shame, or the swinging of fists!

_Only allow me a moment more to say:  
_ _Fortune accompany you in all you do!_  
_Glory and laughter attend you on your way!  
_ _Go, your adventure awaits! May all your dreams come true!_


	5. 4. Route 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic set to the famous Route 1 theme. The adventure begins as you and your trusty Pokemon partner set out from Pallet Town bound for Viridian City, along the way meeting enough rats and pigeons to make you seriously doubt Kanto's hygeine standards and eventually doing battle with the feared Joey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: Returning home after a lengthy absence, a man finally reaches the outskirts of his home town.
> 
> VARIATIONS: None, although I recommend slowing the song to about half of its tempo in RBY, and perhaps adding a short instrumental section between verses.

Is it really true?  
This is all so new,  
And yet so familiar to me!  
I could almost die,  
For again am I  
In the place I'm dying to be!  
Rolling back the years,  
I recall the tears  
When I said 'I'm going away';  
But now I'm here  
It seems so near,  
It's like yesterday!  
Overcome with feeling, I begin  
To sing this soulful song;  
Singin', 'Joy oh joy, for I am in  
The town where I belong!' 

Like a man who sails  
Through appalling gales  
Unafraid of running aground,  
Till he longs to be  
In his native sea  
And he swings his tiller around;  
So I boldly strode  
Down the endless road,  
Only to revisit anon  
The neighbours' names  
And girls, and games  
You raised me upon.  
When I nailed my colours to the mast  
My heart was proud and strong;  
Now I tremble, for I'm home at last -  
The town where I belong!

To the house I'll go  
Where the fireside glow  
Is as warm as ever I knew,  
Down the same old street  
Where my infant feet  
Used to skip a merry tattoo.  
On the road I've been:  
Many things I've seen  
That have made me into a man,  
But how I burn  
When I return  
To where I began!  
The conviction builds - I know not why -  
There are worse things to do  
Than to stay and watch the world go by  
Till my life is through!

Yes, it's strange to tell  
How a sight or smell  
Can evoke such echoes of joy!  
What I wouldn't give  
For a chance to live  
And remain forever a boy!  
Though I don't know when,  
To return again  
Is a thing I solemnly vow;  
As out the door  
I go once more -  
But only for now!  
And the place is not for me to see  
The road will lead me to,  
But the memories will go with me  
Till my life is through!


	6. 5. Viridian City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic set to the tune that plays in Viridian, Pewter, Saffron, and Fuschia cities. Whether it's spending thousands of dollars on Pokemon supplies, breaking into people's homes or infiltrating an evil criminal organisation, these cities have plenty of fun-filled activities for the whole family to enjoy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: Now in his final years of life, an old man pauses to remember his youth, and to consider the world he is leaving behind.
> 
> VARIATIONS: None
> 
> WARNING: Some moderately violent imagery, references to death.

Soon to choke -  
I was such a hearty fellow  
When I woke,  
And the sun was blazing yellow!  
Red it glows -  
Scarcely brighter than an ember -  
Then it goes,  
And they never will remember  
How it shone proudly all the live-long day,  
Warmth and contentment selfless giving!  
Now, is there no one left to tell  
How they saw me shining, and  
How they saw me shining,  
And so well?

Such is life!  
Such a bitter blade to swallow  
Is the knife  
That is knowing what will follow!  
Long ago -  
Young and strong and hopeful-seeming -  
Did I know,  
Or was I too busy dreaming?  
Oh, what dreams flooded then into my mind!  
Dreams of land of peace and plenty!  
Go, for I wish no one to see  
At the end what does become,  
At the end what does  
Become of me.


	7. 6. Route 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic set to the tune that plays on Routes 3 and 4 between Pewter and Cerulean Cities, either side of Mount Moon. As our journey through Kanto continues, the lessons come thick and fast, including some fascinating insights on the benefits of shorts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: Lonely and far from home, a trainer reflects on how his journey has toughened him as an individual.
> 
> VARIATIONS: None

Straight through the gate,  
Into a future full of glory:  
Such is the fate  
Of those who carry on the story.  
If it's fame that you crave,  
Then be bold and brave,  
Looking death in the eye.

So very few  
Have ever seen the shining portal -  
What did they do  
That made their victories immortal?  
They were fearless and strong,  
And they live in song  
That they never may die!

No going back -  
The road's not easy but you chose it.  
Fear no attack:  
You have the courage to oppose it;  
When you stand with your friends  
To achieve your ends,  
Half the battle is won.

Strength and a plan  
Don't mean as much as what's inside you.  
Since we began,  
You've had your destiny to guide you  
Through the wind and the rain,  
Over hill and plain,  
Till the journey is done.


	8. 7. A Rival Appears

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic set to the your rival's theme music, or _leitmotif _if we're getting technical. How come our own character doesn't get one of these? For that matter, how come it's always NPCs who get the great lines like 'smell ya later'? With that attitude, you'd think he was good!__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: A chance encounter between Ash and Gary's ever-faithful posse of cheerleaders leads to a meeting of the two old rivals.
> 
> VARIATIONS: I have changed the rhythm in bar 6 from a dotted crotchet rest followed by a crochet and three quavers to a quaver rest followed by seven quavers (You're burnin' out of all cont-). I have also added four bars of melody to the end of each verse (Don't let...Gary Oak!): this is too complicated to describe in detail so you will just have to use your imagination. The outro of this song (Deal him...Gary go!) is likewise a new addition.

CHEERLEADERS:  
Somebody pinch me, I'm in heaven!  
I'm running round like I was seven!  
You make me whole -  
You're burnin' out of all control -  
Fire in my soul!  
Don't let me choke  
In your smoke,  
Gary, Gary Oak!

Don't know what set my heart a-flutter;  
Your gaze can melt me like hot butter!  
You're super-strong!  
I used to think all men were wrong -  
Then you came along.  
Deep in my chest  
I confessed,  
'Gary, you're the best!'

I guarantee when you have met him  
You are unlikely to forget him  
With any speed.  
You cannot possibly succeed -  
You don't even need  
To make a plan  
(If you can) -  
Gary is the man.

( _Gary enters _)__

Oh golly gosh, he's finally here!  
GARY:  
So tell me, ladies, what have we here? ( _sees Ash_ )  
You're so naive!  
What are you hoping to achieve?  
Turn around and leave!

CHEERLEADERS:  
Deal him a blow  
So he'll know;  
Gary, Gary go! (Go Gary! Go Gary!)  
It's time to show the foe you're no schmoe:  
Gary, Gary go! (Go Gary!)  
Go Gary go! (Go Gary!)  
Go Gary go! go! go! go! go!


	9. 8. Trainer Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic set to the music that plays shortly after an exclamation mark appears above the head of a person standing completely motionless in the middle of nowhere on the off chance that a trainer walks in front of them, which is evidently considered a fun passtime in the Pokemon universe. The ensuing battle is accompanied by one of the most memorable tunes on the whole RBY soundtrack - and now it has lyrics!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: Having ambushed our heroes once again - doubtless with the aid of one of their foolproof disguises - Team Rocket prepare to do battle.
> 
> VARIATIONS: This piece has undergone substantial alterations to make it a viable melody for singing:  
> \- The eight introductory bars are included as part of the song (Hah, cornered!...nightmare).  
> \- Bars 15-23 of the main melody have been largely rewritten. The rhythm in bars 15-16 has been changed to two dotted crotchets followed by a crotchet tied to a dotted minim, notes EAB (-out a soul). For bars 17-23 (Groan...shown/Like) the tune is largely - aside from being one octave lower - as per RBY, but with an altered rhythm. You will have to follow as best you can.  
> \- In bars 41-44 of the main melody, Jessie sings the semibreve notes as written, while James, coming in midway through the second beat of the bar, responds by saying his lines in a rhythm of five quavers (Sky...thought of it).  
> \- In bars 45-48 the melody is as per the HeartGold and SoulSilver versions of the piece - two dotted crotchets and one crotchet in each bar (We'll never...livin'/ Or) - i.e. the same note is played three times in each bar, except for bar 48 where the notes are changed from FFF to FFD.  
> \- The verse ends on the first note of bar 49: a crotchet F (die!). The melody rests in bar 50, then the second verse commences from the start of the introduction. Bars 51-58 are deleted.

JESSIE & JAMES:  
Hah, cornered! No escape for  
You: rising like a vapour,  
We've got you! Hold it right there!  
We are your darkest nightmare!

Straight from the pit of hell,  
We're bad, but do it well!  
Hearts black as coal,  
Born all without a soul!

Groan -  
Helpless and alone -  
No mercy will be shown!  
Like stone

We will crush and break you,  
Take and make you  
Our own!

Frightening,  
We strike like lightning,  
The darkness brightening,  
The dusky blackness whitening,  
In the night

JESSIE/ (JAMES):  
Sky! (You're what we covet)  
Sly! (We really love it!)  
Lie? (We're not above it!)  
Why? (I've not thought of it!)

JESSIE & JAMES:  
We'll never give in:  
We'll steal for a livin'  
Or die!

Oh, well; that's quite enough  
Of that! It's time we got tough -  
But wait! Actually before then,  
We'll just say one thing more, then:

I think you know our name -  
We're very much the same -  
Team Rocket we,  
High kings ( _Jessie sings_ 'queens' _ _)__ of burglary!

Ooh,  
We remember you,  
We're here for Pikachu,  
It's true!

So prepare for trouble!  
Make it double -  
Please do!

Teeming  
With evil scheming,  
Our faces beaming,  
Enjoying it, or seeming to:  
You'll never

JESSIE/ (JAMES):  
Know, (We never let it)  
Show, (But we regret it)  
So! (We're foul and fetid)  
Oh! (I still don't get it!)

JESSIE & JAMES:  
What's all this prattle?  
Get ready for battle!  
Let's go!


	10. 9. Victory Theme - Trainer & Wild

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic set to two different tunes: one plays when you beat a defenceless wild animal so hard it loses consciousness and the other when you crush the hopes than dreams of a young child by completely outclassing them with an unattainable level of skill. Well, who doesn't feel like celebrating then?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: An experienced trainer consoles his young opponent after defeating him in battle.
> 
> VARIATIONS: As with Oak's Lab and Professor Oak's Theme, I have combined the Trainer Battle Victory and Wild Pokemon Battle Victory themes into a single song; this time however no alterations are necessary as both themes share the same key and tempo.
> 
> KEY: Upright text = Trainer Battle Victory, _Italics = Wild Pokemon Battle Victory ___

Rise up again,  
My ferocious young warrior!  
I know your pain,  
And I couldn't be sorrier!  
One has to fail,  
And the other prevail,  
And I thank you.

Smile, and you'll be  
On the road to recovery.  
All that you see  
Is an endless discovery.  
Soon, you will close  
With, and conquer all those  
Who outrank you.

_Never have I felt so free  
_ _Such a sweet victory!  
_ _Promise me next time we meet  
_ _You will beat me._

_Though I knew throughout the fight  
_ _I would win (I was right!),  
_ _Still, you had me in a spin,  
_ _Quaking in fright._

_Take this flame and make it grow!  
_ _Hold it high! Let it go!  
_ _Spread your arms and you will fly:  
_ _Trust me, I know._

Stop, look around:  
Is it any great mystery?  
Standing your ground,  
Like the heroes of history:  
Swords at their hips,  
And a song on their lips  
Full of virtue.

Towering above  
All of ancient society;  
Faithful in love,  
Through their courage and piety.  
Enter the fray  
In their footsteps, and they  
Won't desert you!


	11. 10. Route 24

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic set the tune that plays on Routes 24 & 25\. We're off to Sea Cottage to visit Bill, who likes to dress up as various kinds of Pokemon. Why does he do this? Research. What kind of research? We can only speculate. Should there be a furry warning on this chapter? Er, n-no, no. Seriously, this is nothing to do with that. I'm sure I wouldn't have anything to contribute on that subject, having no knowledge whatsoever in that department. Not that there's anything wrong with fursuits - very, uh, scientific. Ahem. Yes. Um...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: Overcome with the thrill of his adventure with Pikachu, Ash finds himself reliving his experiences to date and forging a connection to the heroes of yesteryear. Watching from afar, the spirits of Ash's male ancestors urge him on.
> 
> VARIATIONS: I have added a section - approximately 7 bars long - to the end of each verse, during which a male chorus, representing the spirits of Ash's ancestors, sings a brief harmony while Ash improvises over the top:  
> \- The rhythm for this harmony in verses 1,2 and 4 is crochet (So), a three-note sequence of dotted quaver, semiquaver, crotchet (long ago!) - crotchet rest, crotchet, the three-note sequence again, a ten-note sequence of 2 crotchets followed by 8 quavers (All the...felt/ So), the three-note sequence again, crotchet rest, crotchet, the three note sequence, the ten-note sequence, and the three-note sequence again to finish.  
> \- The rhythm for the harmony in verse 3 is ten quavers (Let the...into), the three-note sequence (every pore), quaver rest, eleven quavers (vibrations...to/ The), the three-note sequence, crotchet rest, crotchet, the three-note sequence, quaver rest, eleven quavers (They too...to/ The), and the three-note sequence again to finish.

ASH:  
Daring and strong,  
We fight the foe!  
Learning we're wrong,  
We change and grow.  
Sharing a song,  
As we journey along -  
Though the wind may blow -  
You'd never know  
All the anxious fears I felt  
So long ago.

CHORUS/ (ASH):  
So long ago! So long ago! ( _Improvises on 'So long ago!')  
_ All the anxious, anxious fears I felt  
So long ago! So long ago!  
All the anxious, anxious fears I felt  
So long ago!

ASH:  
Sunk like a stone,  
I had no aim  
But to bemoan  
This wretched game!  
Chilled to the bone,  
I was lost and alone -  
Feebly burnt my flame -  
Then summer came,  
And I dreamt again my dream  
Of future fame.

CHORUS/ (ASH):  
Proud is the name you boldly claim; ( _Improvises on 'Of future fame!')  
_ As you dreamt and dreamt again your dream  
Of future fame, we did the same -  
Woke and slept and dreamt again our dream  
Of future fame!

ASH:  
Timid I rose  
And left my door,  
Just, I suppose,  
Like men before:  
Millions - who knows? -  
And before all of those  
Went a million more  
In days of yore,  
And they journey with me to  
The furthest shore.

CHORUS/ (ASH):  
Let the liquid music enter into ( _Improvises on 'The furthest shore!')  
_ Every pore, vibrations thrum and fill and thrill you to  
The very core! The very core!  
They too will journey, journey with you to  
The furthest shore.

ASH:  
Rising I greet  
The morning new;  
No one can beat  
Both me and you!  
Born to compete,  
Not afraid of defeat -  
Or of winning, too.  
Let's see it through;  
Now the time has come to show  
What we can do.

CHORUS/ (ASH):  
Be faithful to your promise true: _(Improvises on 'What we can do!')  
_ Brave and brightly may you voyage, and  
Enjoy the view! We live in you!  
Now the time has, time has come to show  
What you can do! (What we can do!)


	12. 11. Vermillion City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic set to the tune that plays in Vermillion City, a place famed for its exquisite sunsets, mysterious trucks that are practically begging to be shoved aside to reveal a ultra-rare Pokemon, and having the single most annoying - not to mention unhygenic - gym puzzle in the entire Pokemon universe. How many cans of trash did you have to dig through before you got to battle Surge? Ah, the glamorous life of a Pokemon trainer...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: A bored office worker imagines his soul taking leave of his body and flying away to a sparkling city by the sea.
> 
> VARIATIONS: None

When morning comes to a close,  
Noon draws me into a doze.  
Far from this body I stray:  
Temptations lure me away.  
Fantasising sweetly,  
I depart completely.

Waves crashing far down below,  
Shorewards the sea-breezes blow.  
First ships, then people appear -  
Heaven, I'm finally here!  
Laughter and commotion  
Swell beside the ocean.

Hope and good fortune abound -  
Pricks every ear then a sound:  
Rapt faces glance from afar,  
Lulled by a lonely guitar.  
Sing me through the summer,  
Solitary strummer!

Pink blush the sky and the foam;  
Blood-red the sun hurries home.  
I drown in pleasure, and then  
Wake bound in flesh once again,  
Smiling with derision:  
Life is but a vision!


	13. 12. SS Anne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic set to the melody that strikes up as you board the SS Anne, or the 'St Anne' as it's called in the anime (theory: it was changed to avoid sounding like the devil). Having acquired a ticket to sail the world's most luxurious, continent-hopping ocean liner, you're ready to embark on the trip of a lifetime. To whit: burst in on some unsuspecting cabin occupants, obtain the HM01 in return for giving the captain a backrub (nothing creepy about that!) and make a swift exit before the ship promptly departs without you. Well, makes as much sense as anything, I guess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: Sick with the pressures of modern life, a man dreams about throwing off his cares and escaping to sea.
> 
> VARIATIONS: In RBY the opening four bars of melody play three times in succession; I have reduced this to two playings per verse (Lead me...shore).

Lead me away  
From trial and tribulation:  
Misery I  
Can no longer endure!  
Give me one day  
Of joyous anticipation,  
Waving goodbye  
To our friends on the shore!  
Can the sea,  
The restless senses of my mind expanding,  
Furnish me  
With a profound new peace and understanding?  
Raging foam,  
Whose fury on the rocky shore disbanding,  
Take me home,  
And cleanse me of all anguish at our landing?

Oh to depart  
This city of endless sorrow,  
Weary and sore  
As the bones of a slave!  
Will my poor heart  
Preserve me until tomorrow,  
Pining once more  
For the wash of a wave?  
Only where  
The frothing waters of the world are surging,  
Can the air -  
His forces with the wave and tide converging -  
Make me whole,  
With salty medicine all passion purging  
From my soul,  
And cure me of my labour's ceaseless urging!

Wide is men's woe,  
And many their contradictions:  
Journeying far  
Still they long to be free!  
When will they show  
The courage of their convictions,  
Bright as a star  
Hanging over the sea?  
In the beam -  
The milky channel of the moon's reflection -  
Do we seem  
A race of children wanting firm direction?  
Foolish boys,  
Or do we hunger for a fresh injection  
Of those joys  
We knew so long ago as true perfection?


	14. 13. Route 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic set to the tune that plays on Routes 11-15. With the indignities of bin-rummaging and captain-massaging now happily behind you, you pass an inexplicable congregation of gamblers, before finding your way blocked by a mountain of snoozing fat. Of course, only a toot on the Pokeflute has the power to wake the sleeping behemoth, which begs the question: why aren't they standard issue? For that matter, what's Snorlax even doing out here, miles from the nearest grass, and in the overworld to boot? Any excuse for a sidequest, eh?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: Feeling let down by global events, a young man takes a trip into the countryside to rediscover the joys of living.
> 
> VARIATIONS: In verses 2 and 3, a second voice sings the main harmony line for part of the verse, coming in half a beat after the end of the melody in the fifth and sixth lines (wild...mild) and simultaneous with the penultimate note of the melody (a) in the seventh line. The words sung by the second voice are in brackets.

Oh, how my spirit yearns  
For the dawning of the day  
When hope to me returns,  
Chasing all my fears away!  
In darkness we dwell:  
Its force to repel,  
Light from my heart well,  
I wish and pray!

Are men not made to run,  
Throwing off a world of pain?  
Far, then, beneath the sun  
Journey into joy again!  
The wind blows so wild, (Ah, say what use lies in delaying,)  
So fresh and so mild, (Meaningless consequences weighing?)  
That young as a child (The world is our plaything!)  
I yet remain.

Come now, be on your way,  
Finally at liberty;  
Somehow, let's make today  
All that it was born to be!  
The sky is so bright, (Show me, I'm dying to discover,)  
Our souls can take flight, (And take me softly like a lover!)  
And dance with the light - (Turn over and over!)  
Don't you agree?

Tossed on an ocean deep,  
Running up a mountain high,  
Lost in the calm of sleep,  
Roaring like a river by -  
Ah, sweet is the air  
To vanquish despair -  
The loveliness there  
Will never die!


	15. 14. Celadon City

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic set to the tune that plays as you wander round Celadon City. You're in the City of Rainbow Dreams, which bizzarely has no connection whatsoever to Ho-Oh - the Rainbow Pokemon - and, even more bizzarely, contains a hotel with an invisible computer. Such an establishment is of course wholly unnecessary in RBY, which has no night, no real-time clock and a hero who never tires! And presumably never dreams, either, unless of course Oddish - the 'Weed' Pokemon and one of Erica's favourites - has the power to induce rainbow-coloured hallucinations, which would pretty much explain everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: After a long and bitterly cold winter, the inhabitants of Celadon City rejoice to see the first green shoots of spring appearing.
> 
> VARIATIONS: The outro (last 2 lines, 'You complain..all day!') of this song is a new addition.

Oh, what weather -  
Breezes blowin' in your hair -  
Smell the heather!  
Taste the goodness in the air!  
Oh, spring is springing  
Everywhere I turn my eye:  
Birds are singing, winging slowly by,  
Sailing in the sky!  
I can't believe it's been a year  
Since I last saw a daffodil appear!  
Deer gambol in a gleeful game,  
We're so excited: nothing looks the same!

Clumps of clover  
Mingle with the melting snow:  
Winter's over -  
Never thought that it would go!  
New life, in wonder,  
Staggers from an empty shell.  
Rivers thunder - under nature's spell  
Everything is well!  
So many visions to enjoy!  
No worldly cares our pleasure can destroy!  
Coy maidens now may steal a kiss:  
Boy, was there ever happiness like this?

Sun and showers  
In the heavens take their turns;  
See fresh flowers  
Colour in a field of ferns!  
Oh, blossoms tumble  
From the top of every tree.  
Lovers stumble, mumble: 'You and me  
Will forever be'.  
All nature has begun anew:  
Small birdies and the bunny-rabbits, too.  
True paradise is here to stay;  
You complain if it should rain -  
I'm gonna stay outside all day!


	16. 15. Game Corner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Having fought valiantly to earn some hard-won PokeDollars, it's now time to blow the lot on random games of chance where the odds are always stacked heavily in favour of the house! Three questions spring to mind: 1. Why does anybody bother with this part of the game? 2. Why do slot machines - literally throwing your money away - continue to cast such a spell over the desperate in real life? And 3. What the f*** is all this gambling - a dangerously addictive, life-destroying habit - doing in a game marketed at 9 to 12-year-olds? Oh well, at least it isn't secretly being run by a ruthless organised crime gang bent on world domina...oh wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: After being blasted off for the one millionth time in yet another ill-fated attempt to capture Pikachu, Team Rocket finally explain why they're such gluttons for punishment.
> 
> VARIATIONS: The outro (That's the meaning...game!) is new: think circus music!

JESSIE & JAMES:  
Why do poor men gamble,  
Burning money merrily,  
While the wealthy ramble  
Round the countryside for free?  
Pity, then, the latter -  
Though he's richer all the same -  
Winning doesn't matter,  
So long as you play the game! ( _James only:_ Diddle-iddle-iddle-um!)

And if we lose,  
At least we tried!  
And if we win, win, win  
We're never cashing in!  
Therefore we choose  
To say with pride,  
'Roll up and let the games begin!'

Were they in denial:  
Hercules and Sisyphus?  
Every gruelling trial  
Seems a parable to us!  
When you grapple gamely,  
In defeat there lies no shame;  
But surrender tamely?  
You've not even played the game! ( _Jessie only:_ Diddle-iddle-iddle-um!)

JESSIE/ (JAMES):  
We have a hope, ( _Echoing:_ We have a hope,)  
We have a dream, (We have a dream,)  
BOTH:  
And when our hearts you break,  
Sometimes it's hard to take;  
JESSIE (JAMES):  
But we can cope, (But we can cope,)  
'Cause we're a team (Oh what a team!)  
BOTH:  
And our resolve will never shake!

Like those brave bobsleighers  
From a Caribbean isle:  
Truly noble players  
Never compromise on style!  
When did more heroic  
Words or deeds our hearts inflame?  
Glory to the stoic!  
He's the soul of every game! ( _Meowth:_ Diddle-iddle-iddle-um!)

JESSIE/ (JAMES):  
And if we crash, (And if we crash,)  
And if we burn, (And if we burn,)  
BOTH:  
And every round we score  
No better than before  
JESSIE/ (JAMES):  
Quick as a flash, (Because, you see,)  
We will return (We never learn!)  
BOTH:  
To try our lucky stars once more!

Scott, the old sea-skipper  
Chose a challenging career:  
Was he aught but chipper  
When his frozen end was near?  
Nothing short of dying  
Would suffice to win him fame -  
Victory is Trying!  
That's the meaning,  
That's the meaning,  
That's the meaning of - the - game!


	17. 16. Pokemon Centre

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic set the tune that wafts over the PA (I mean, not really, that's just how I imagined it) as you enter the Pokemon Centre, either by walking through the front door or - less explicably - by magically appearing there after 'whiteing out' at the end of an unsuccessful battle. Downloading animals from a computer, encountering an identical clone doing exactly the same job in every city, or free vetinary care: which did you find it hardest to believe in?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: A no-holds-barred battle with Gary ends with an explosion in which Ash is knocked unconscious. He wakes to find himself on one of the human treatment wards at the local Pokemon centre, surrounded by an army of singing Nurse Joys and Chanseys.
> 
> VARIATIONS: I have added a middle-8 - solo - section (See the...he's awake!), which is intended to essentially be a replica of the one that appears in the daytime version of this piece from Diamond/ Pearl/ Platinum but without the syncopation. The rhythm in full: an eight-note sequence of two quavers, minim, crotchet twice; five quavers, two crotchets, three quavers, minim rest, the eight-note sequence again, six quavers, crotchet, crotchet rest, two quavers, semiquaver, dotted quaver, crotchet, crotchet rest.

NURSE JOYS & CHANSEYS:  
If it should chance you are feeling  
Ill, or exhausted, or injured,  
Find us for health and for healing,  
Come in, come in, and be cured!

Swirly-eyed, tipsy or antsy?  
NJ SOLO/ (OTHERS):  
Too many hours on the Game Boy? ( _Spoken:_ Hmph!)  
ALL:  
You can rest easy with Chansey,  
You're in safe hands with Nurse Joy!

Stress, strains, emptiness and fear?  
Leave all when you enter here!  
Aches? Pains? Watch them disappear!  
Rest and revive till your senses clear!

_(A single Nurse Joy approaches the bed where Ash is lying unconscious)_

NURSE JOY SOLO:  
See the strange things  
Boys and men do:  
Waging war until they double over!  
Time to change things,  
Help us mend you,  
It's your health for goodness sake!  
( _Ash stirs)_ Come quick, he's awake!

ASH:  
Gary - what happened - where am I?  
NJs AND CHANSEYS:  
Try to remember -  
ASH:  
I know you!  
( _Panicking)_ Nurse Joy, am I going to die?  
NJs AND CHANSEYS:  
Try to calm down!  
ASH:  
_(Still panicking)_ Pikachu!

NJs AND CHANSEYS:  
How are you feeling?  
ASH:  
All woozy.  
NJs AND CHANSEYS:  
Can you get up now?  
ASH:  
I think so.  
NJs AND CHANSEYS:  
Stretch out your arms now.  
ASH:  
( _Stretches, breaks wind)_ Excuse me!  
NJs AND CHANSEYS:  
Can you stand up?  
ASH:  
I don't know.

_Ash rises unsteadily and begins to walk_

NJs AND CHANSEYS:  
One, two, now you're on your way:  
You'll recover in a day.  
Please do everything we say,  
Don't disobey: there'll be hell to pay!

CHANSEY SOLO:  
We are female,  
Strictly female -  
Small and sensible, unlike some others!  
And though you can't  
Help but be male,  
You could take a bit more care:  
You gave us a scare!

ASH:  
How long have I been asleep for?  
NJs AND CHANSEYS:  
Two days.  
ASH:  
How stubborn and strong-willed!  
Figures.  
NJs AND CHANSEYS:  
Huh! That's pretty deep for  
Someone who almost got killed!

Next time you want to be plucky,  
Go get the mop or the broom out!  
This time, because you were lucky,  
You're still alive!  
ASH:  
( _Cowering)_ Just about!


	18. 17. Lavender Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic set the tune - or rather, the horrible dirge that creaks and groans its way out the speakers to mark your arrival in Lavender Town, a place where the stench of death, damnation and even more death oozes from between every crack in the woodwork. As a child setting out on an epic journey of self-discovery and heroic sporting endeavour, what could be more enjoyable than being subjected to near-continual reminders of your own mortality, people trying to drink your blood, and a haunted tower with graves dug on every floor? Seriously, what were the developers of this game thinking? What possessed them to...oh, wait: possessed? Uh...Gengar, maybe?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: Freshly woken from a nightmare, a man recounts his disturbing vision of the end of days.
> 
> VARIATIONS: While not wishing to do anything undermine the spectacular eerieness of this piece, I have made 3 subtle but important changes:  
> \- In bar 8 of the main melody, the second note is deleted.  
> \- Likewise, in bar 16, the first note rises to a C-natural rather than falling to the C-sharp ('-cay', mirroring bar 8 '-bey') and the second note is deleted.  
> \- In bars 17-20, the melody of three semibreves followed by four crotchets is replaced by sixteen crotchets, notes B, G , F-sharp, B three times; then a descending scale of E, D, C, B (Hear my...will perish!). This is similar to the harmony part in RBY that be heard in bars 13-15 of the first playing and in bars 9-11 from the second playing onwards, often at very high pitch.
> 
> WARNING: References to death, mild sex reference.

Clockhands creeping,  
Cresting fallen towers,  
Strike to tell the  
Time, and all obey.  
Softly sleeping  
Fawns among the flowers  
Rise and smell the  
Perfume of decay!

Hear my warning  
Every morning:  
All you cherish  
Soon will perish!

Faceless features  
Peer into the distance:  
See them scowling,  
Sickening and sublime!  
Coupling creatures  
Offer no resistance  
To the howling  
Heedlessness of Time!

Daily, nightly,  
Burning brightly -  
Once expended,  
Swiftly ended!

Women waking  
Wear expressions dismal;  
Manly voices  
Simperingly sigh.  
Once more taking  
In the scene abysmal,  
Death rejoices:  
Victory is nigh!


	19. 18. Guidepost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A special song to ring in the new year, set to the famous Guidepost theme. One of the simplest melodies ever to feature in a video game, it also proved to be one of the franchise's most successful, and would go on to become known as Come Along, Follow Me and Hurry Along in later editions. The early-game guided tour taking in all the local attractions (i.e. the same bog-standard Pokemon Centre, Mart and Gym as you find in every other town) has become a staple of the franchise, ever since we were shown around Pewter City by an NPC with serious control issues, but I've recast the song as a New Year carol to be sung by the people of Lavender Town, who (let's face it) could really do with some festive cheering-up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: It's New Year's Day in Lavender Town: the one day in every 365 when residents can - for a short while at least - let go of the past and look forward with an atypical amount of optimism to the year in prospect.
> 
> VARIATIONS: The lyrics are for bars 1-16 of the main melody only. I also have the following suggestions for anyone thinking of making a cover version of this piece - or who just wants to sing it at home:  
> \- Use the Gold/ Silver/ Crystal version of Come Along as the basis for the vocal part. The tempo is better for singing than in RBY, and I also love the descending chromatic scale in bar 12 (Disarray!).  
> \- Replace the melody in bars 13-16 (Meantime...pleased to say!) with a repeat of the melody in bars 5-8 (Joy is..along the way).

Cold and clear  
Dawns the day;  
Have no fear,  
Come what may.  
Joy is here,  
Here to stay,  
With many-a-tear  
Along the way.  
Dark and drear  
Clouds of grey  
Flee in sheer  
Disarray!  
Meantime we're  
Bright and gay,  
For it's New Year  
I'm pleased to say!

Bid the old  
Year adieu;  
Now behold  
One that's new.  
Rich as gold,  
Hope shines through  
The bitter cold  
To me and you!  
Break the mould!  
For it's true  
What we're told  
We must do:  
Brave and bold,  
Ready to  
With love enfold  
Our favoured few!


	20. Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Songfic set to the music you hear whilst 'surfing'. No boat? No problem! Here in the Pokemon world, all you need do to get around on the water is enslave a helpless wild animal, connect its brain to a CD drive by shoving in a couple of electrodes, upload HM03 and bang! - your own personal ready-made yacht! Any water-dwelling creature will do: crab, jellyfish - heck, even a tadpole should to the trick, right? I mean, the thing is essentially buoyancy made flesh: I fail to see how carrying the weight of a human a million times heavier's gonna make any difference. Well, here goes. Use HM03? Yes. POLIWAG LEARNED SURF. See? Told ya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STORY/ SCENARIO: Having fled to the coast for some much needed R&R, a pair of city-slickers hire a sailing yacht and celebrate the delights of taking it slow.
> 
> VARIATIONS: In RBY, bars 1-16 of the main melody play only once; I have added a repeat (Balmy and...aware!). On the first playing, I have changed the note in bar 15 (care) - the last note in that part of the melody - so that it now falls to a C-sharp. On the second playing, it rises to an A as per RBY.

Rising and falling,  
Gulls carelessly calling;  
Aren't we appalling,  
Indifferent to care?  
Balmy and breezy,  
Pulled ever-so-easy;  
'Do you feel queasy?'  
'Not that I'm aware!'  
Drifting hence,  
Each fool's a king;  
Dolphins appear,  
Faces agrin.  
Consequence  
Don't mean a thing!  
'Such a severe  
Mood you are in!'

Breathe deep and gentle!  
Sigh so sentimental!  
Sins I repent all,  
Poor folly of men!  
No one to care for,  
Nothing to prepare for:  
Say why and wherefore  
Must I walk again?  
Life agrees  
Squarely with me:  
Simple and slow,  
Listless and lame -  
Just a breeze  
For company!  
'Where shall we go?'  
'It's all the same!'


End file.
